


How to Confuse the Avengers (Mostly Steve)

by hopecanbeyoursword



Series: Iron Dad Bingo [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bruce is back in NY, Father's Day, Fluff, I'm not good at titles, Irondad, Irondad Bingo 2019, Parent Tony Stark, Thor's off world, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, altered timeline, dealing with Asgard problems, spiderson, takes place after civil war, the Rogues come back only a few months after Civil War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopecanbeyoursword/pseuds/hopecanbeyoursword
Summary: It's clear to the Avengers that Peter Parker is more than just an intern.Prompt: Everyone thinks Peter is Tony's kid.





	How to Confuse the Avengers (Mostly Steve)

“Hey, Mr. Stark!”

Steve looked up, a small frown on his face. He had been sitting in the common room, flipping through a book he had found on the table. It was littered with comments, post-its, and highlighted phrases.

A teenager stuck his head through the doorway, quickly scanning his surroundings. He scanned over Steve, and just as he was about to leave, seemed to realize who was there.

“Captain America?” The teenager looked at him, head tilted slightly to the side and eyes wide. He had a small device in his hand, that he immediately shoved in his pocket when he saw that Steve had noticed it.

“Who are you?” Steve asked. He had never seen the teenager before. As far as he knew, the only kids that had ever been on Avengers or Stark property were Clint’s kids, and Scott’s daughter. However, he knew that things had changed while he and the others had been gone. It had only been a few months, but enough had changed.

“Uh, Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Well, Peter. What are you doing here?”

The teen fidgeted with whatever was in his pocket. “I’m an intern. For Stark Industries. I had a project that needs to be checked by Mr. Stark.”

“How did you get up here? There’s certain security clearance you need to have to even be here.”

“FRIDAY let me up,” Peter shrugged, eyes darting around. “Speaking of. FRIDAY, where’s Mr. Stark?”

_Boss is in his lab. Would you like me to inform him you’re on your way down?”_

“Yeah, thanks FRI,” Peter smiled. “Say hi to Karen for me!”

“Karen?”

“She’s another AI,” Peter explained. “A newer one. I work with her, sometimes, in the labs.”

“Oh.” Steve hadn’t talked to Tony enough since the Rogues had been invited back to be caught up on everything. While they weren’t avoiding each other, they also didn’t go looking for each other. It seemed like Peter was one of the topics they would have to talk about.

The super-soldier studied the boy in front of him in the thirty seconds he had before Peter darted onto the elevator, waving hesitantly before the doors closed. Steve blinked as it descended, before mentally categorizing what he knew.

Peter said he was an intern for Stark Industries, which in itself was odd. He was clearly a high school student, which was out of the ordinary. He had to be very smart to even be there. And since he was allowed into Tony’s personal labs, Steve knew there was something special about the kid.

_Could Tony have a kid?_ Steve wondered. It would explain some of the questions Steve had. They looked similar enough— brown hair that had a slight curl to it, the bright, brown eyes, the intelligence. Steve knew Tony kept secrets— they all did— so it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to hear that there was a secret child. Or maybe he was new, at least to Tony’s knowledge. Either way, it seemed plausible that Tony had a child, somewhere. His days before Iron Man…

“FRIDAY?” Steve asked the AI. “How close are Tony and Peter? It’s more than just an internship, isn’t it?”

_I cannot tell you the full extent of their relationship, Captain Rogers. It requires top clearance. However, I can tell you that it is more than an internship, though that is certainly how it began._

“Thanks,” Steve murmured, taking a closer look at the book he was flipping through. Now, with the knowledge of Peter’s existence, it was clear the book belonged to the teenager. Looking around, he spotted other clear evidence that a teenager spent a lot of time in the building. A notebook, a pair of untied shoes thrown in the corner, a Midtown Science and Tech sweatshirt.

He’d have to keep an eye on Tony and Peter.

 

* * *

Natasha watched curiously as Tony ducked into a room at the end of the hall. She hadn’t been in it, and the last time she had lived in the building, it had been empty.

“FRIDAY?” she asked the AI.

_Yes, Ms. Romanov?_

“Is the kid okay?” It hadn’t been hard for her to figure out that Peter Parker was far more than an intern. He had his own room, that though she hadn’t seen, knew had to be designed specifically for him. It had to be, considering how Tony acted with the teen. Her teammates had also noticed the relationship between the two, but no one had brought it up yet.

_Mr. Parker is suffering from nightmares, but he will be okay._

Natasha nodded to herself, the information FRIDAY gave her added to what she was gathering on Peter. He was a good kid, but she knew by the secrecy that there was something more about him that they weren’t being told. The timing of his appearance couldn’t be a coincidence.

She wanted to know what was going up, but decided against sneaking around to figure it out. She didn’t want to break any more trust. Natasha was well aware of the new security measures in place on her and the other Rogues. She was also aware that compared to the others, she had the most freedom. But she didn’t want to loose the small amount of trust she still had. She would let Tony and Peter tell her when they were ready.

Instead of waiting for Tony to eventually exit Peter’s room, Natasha made her way to the kitchen. She had a secret stash of hot chocolate and tea that no one knew about, as far as she knew. After all, the only one who might know would be Tony, since it was his building, but he never took anything or mentioned it.

She quickly and quietly made a mug of hot chocolate and a cup of Tony’s favorite tea. Grabbing a tray from a cupboard, she made her way back down the hallway. She placed the tray in front of Peter’s door, knocking three times on the door before disappearing. When she looked down the hallway three minutes later, the tray was gone.

Natasha smiled, knowing that her gesture was appreciated. Kids were… still something she was unsure about. Clint’s kids were the only ones she saw with some sort of regularity, the only ones she interacted with. But she knew enough from him what could be helpful in certain situations. Based on past interactions between Tony and Peter, she was certain that, though they weren’t biologically related (she had done plenty of research on Tony Stark. His name had never been on a birth certificate, even though it wouldn’t be surprising if he _did_ have a child out there from his playboy days, especially since Peter looked and acted like him), their bond was familial.

It was nice, to see Tony open up to someone else, to look after someone in a way that he himself had never got. 

Natasha made it her goal to get to know the kid who brought about such a change in Tony.

 

* * *

 

Tony sighed as he spotted the notebook laying on the table. “Pete left his stuff behind. Again.” He rolled his eyes fondly.

Clint snorted. “Kids are forgetful. You should get that to him. He’s probably going to need it. Can’t tell you how many times my kids left books at home.” Though Clint was still surprised about the teenager that spent a lot of time at the compound, he knew better than to question it. After being invited back after the so-called Civil War, he knew he had to tread lightly. However, he had found some sort of even footing with Tony when it came to talking about kids. It was clear the first time the archer saw Tony and Peter interact. It reminded him of how he acted around his kids. It was odd, that talking about looking after kids was what was healing the rift between them, but since it was a step in the right direction, neither of them mentioned it.

Clint couldn’t say he’d be surprised if Peter was Tony’s biological kid, due to the past playboy days. However, he also knew that chosen family could be just as important, and that it was just as likely that Peter wasn’t Tony’s, biologically, at least. Whatever it was, it was clear they thought of each other as family, and they’d both do whatever they could to protect each other, in every day life, or in battle.

Tony sighed, acting like he was annoyed, but his eyes gave away his true feelings. He seemed amused, and even a little fond. “FRIDAY, when does the kid have,” he paused to look at the subject written in sharpie on the front cover. “AP Organic Chemistry?”

Clint raised his eyebrow at that, impressed. He knew Peter was smart; he went to Midtown, after all. But it was now clear he was likely one of the smartest kids at the school, with the subjects he was taking.

_Peter has AP Organic Chemistry at ten-thirty. If you leave now, you will get to Midtown at nine twenty-five, right before his break between classes._

“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” Tony turned to leave. He began walking backwards towards the elevator, grabbing a set of keys off the nearby table. “Can’t have his aunt yelling at me again that superhero-ing is getting in the way of academics. When it comes to scary women, I would much rather face an angry Natasha. At least I know what to expect from her. When it comes to May and Pepper, though…”

Clint shook his head, amused. “Just go, Tony. Make sure your kid gets his notes.”

Tony gave him a mock salute, but didn’t try and tell Clint that Peter wasn’t his kid. For a man who never though he’d be a good father, let alone a father, he seemed to be on that exact path. From the few interactions Clint had seen, he knew Tony was a better dad than his father had been, the Stark line of bad fathers had ended with Howard.

It gave something Clint to think about, and he set off to ask one of the others about the situation. Surely they would have something to say about the situation.

 

* * *

 

“Brucie Bear,” Tony smiled as he walked into Bruce’s lab, a pile of papers in hand. “Got time to help me with something?”

“What is it?” Bruce looked up from the papers he had been studying. He had been recording test results, and had been looking for a way to improve his experiment.

“Pete’s got a lot on his plate right now. He feel asleep in the middle of his history homework. I don’t have the heart to wake him up. He’s barely slept the past two weeks, but he still has a project left to do. He’s supposed to interview someone for his science class. Surprise, surprise, he picked you. Mind if I ask you the questions he was going to ask?”

Bruce looked surprised. For one, he was surprised that Peter wanted to interview him. Second, Tony asking him for help for a teenager’s school assignment was something that he never thought would happen. Bruce didn’t know that Tony knew any teenagers, and to find one asleep on the couch the day he came back had been a surprise. Peter was still a mystery to Bruce. The scientist had come across the teenager and Tony working together in the labs, and now knew he was Spider-Man, but everything else was still a mystery.

“Sure, go ahead.” Bruce set his work aside, turning his full attention to his friend.

“Great! So, question one…”

 

-/-

 

“Hey,” Tony whispered to Peter. Peter blinked slowly, trying to wake himself up. His eyes flew wide open, and he tried to stand up, panicking.

“Mr. Stark, I still have my project to work on! What time is it? I should’ve started hours ago! Is Dr. Banner still—?”

“Hey, calm down kiddo.” Tony sat down next to Peter, pulling him back down. “It’s okay. I asked Bruce your questions. You needed sleep. It’s not cheating since you wrote the questions, and you’ll type up the paper. You just have your answers now.”

“Oh,” was all Peter was able to say at first. He settled down. “You didn’t have to do that, Mr. Stark.”

“I know, but your health is more important than one assignment.” Tony started combing his fingers through Peter’s curls. “Now, let’s get some food in your stomach. I got FRIDAY to order your favorite. We can watch an episode or two of that show you’re obsessed with until your done eating, then you can work on your paper. Sound good?”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter smiled.

From his spot in the kitchen, Bruce took note of the way the two interacted. He knew that to the public, Peter was just an intern. For the first day, the rest of them certainly thought so. But now, it was clear it went far past that. Bruce wouldn’t put it past Natasha to have done research, but she hadn’t said anything.

For now, Bruce was fine believing the two were family.

 

* * *

Peter shuffled nervously in the doorway.

The common room was quiet for once. Clint was at home with his family, Natasha had gone to spend the day at SHIELD, Bruce was likely down in his lab, and Steve had gone for a run. It left Peter alone in the compound with Tony, since Pepper wasn’t due back for two more hours.

Peter wasn’t sure if he was glad everyone was gone or not. He fiddled with the card and package in his hands, before stepping into the room. “Mr. Stark?”

“Hey, Pete.” Tony set down his Stark pad to greet the teenager. “What brings you to the compound today?” Tony was very aware of what day it was. It was the reason Clint had gone straight home after his latest mission to gather information on what was coming, instead of stopping by the med bay. The same day that Tony hated for many years. The day May and Peter had spent the morning at the Parker plot in the cemetery. Father’s day.

“I, uh… May and I were on our way back.” Peter didn’t look up as he spoke, reminding Tony of how young he really was. It was clear that Peter had had an emotional morning, having spent it with May visiting his father and his Uncle Ben. “She dropped me off. I can ask her to come get me if Happy can’t drive me home later, but I just…” Peter trailed off. Instead of saying more, he held out his hand. “This is for you.”

Tony looked at Peter’s outstretched hand, taking in the red envelope and the package hastily wrapped in gold paper.

“Read the card first,” Peter instructed as he shifted his weight from his right foot to the left.

Tony nodded, not willing to break the silence just yet.

 

_Mr. Stark,_

_I still don’t know if this is the best idea I’ve had. May said it was okay, and I want to believe her. I lost my father when I was young. I wish I could remember him, but the few memories I have just keep getting farther away. Almost everything I know is from May. Uncle Ben died over a year ago, and it still hurts, but it’s getting easier. He was always my uncle, but for awhile, he filled the void my dad left. He and May raised me, loved me like I was their own._

_I’ve lost two father figures already, and I don’t think I could handle losing another. That’s why I almost didn’t write this letter. You can’t lose what you pretend not to have, not really. Not in the way that really hurts. But May told me it was okay. That I wasn’t replacing or forgetting dad or Ben. It was just making room to love someone else. That it’s okay to do that. It doesn’t make me love them any less._

_So this is for you. I know it’s not much. You could buy pretty much anything you could want. But I wanted you to have this._

_Happy Father’s Day, Mr. Stark._

_Peter Parker_

_ps. you are definitely better than your father_

 

The letter itself was enough to make Tony want to cry. Instead, he blinked a few times, before opening the present. Inside was a small photo book. The cover photo was of him and Peter during a movie night, a picture that Pepper had to have taken. They both looked happy, like none of the hardships they had gone through could touch them.

Inside the book were pictures of the two of them. Screenshots from Peter’s vlog of the so-called Civil War, up until three days before, of the two of them in the middle of throwing flour at each other. Each photo sent Tony back to the day it was taken. He flipped through it silently, before reaching the final page. There, was a copy of a child’s drawing. The drawing was a little boy standing next to Iron Man, both of them with masks covering their faces. There was a scribbled note, written in red crayon.

 

_thank you for saving me_

_i love you iron man_

_your the best_

_-Peter P_

 

“You saved me when I was younger. At the Stark Expo when the drones attacked? Ben had gotten me an Iron Man mask, and we watched from the outside since we couldn’t afford tickets. A drone saw me with the mask on, but before anything bad could happen, you came and destroyed it. I almost didn’t want to put this in here, but May told me I needed to.” Peter looked up, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I don’t know if you remember that, or if you ever got my letter.”

But Tony did remember. He remembered seeing a little kid in danger, and stopping it before going off to defeat the rest of the enemy. “That was you…” To think, if he hadn’t noticed, Peter might not be there, at the compound, alive.

“You’ve been saving me most of my life,” Peter shrugged. “I wanted you to know I was thankful for that. It’s… something both my dad and Uncle Ben did for me. It means a lot that you do, too.”

“Always,” was the first word out of Tony’s mouth. He didn’t even have to think about it. “I will always protect you, kiddo. And, uh… I do have the original letter. I kept every letter sent to me. They’re downstairs, in the lab.”

Peter looked surprised at the information.

“But this one is even better. Getting it from you. And this letter. Pete… you really didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did. I’m honored that you’re putting me up at the same level as your dad and uncle. It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” He opened his arms and Peter gladly took the cue, wrapping his arms around the man. “Just having you around makes things better.”

They sat curled up together, Tony running his hands through Peter’s hair. Tony had never loved Father’s Day, but Peter had a way of making everything better. As weird as it was to think the words, Tony knew it was true. Peter was his kid in every way that mattered. And Tony was like his dad.

The calmness that washed over them lulled them to sleep. Tony was reclining on the couch feet out in front of him. Peter was curled into his side, legs taking up the free space.

That’s how the others found them that night. Pepper smiled fondly, before placing a blanket over both of them. The photo book was open on the table, and after seeing there were still empty spaces, Rhodes had FRIDAY take a picture of the current scene.

Steve, Natasha, Bruce, and Clint (who had come back to the compound with his family), just stared. A year ago, they never could have imagined anything like the scene in front of them. But now, after meeting Peter and watching him interact with Tony, it felt right.

"So, Peter is Tony's kid, right?" Steve asked, still confused, as they left the two in peace.

Pepper, Rhodes and Natasha just laughed in response.

**Author's Note:**

> Since it's still, technically, Father's Day where I live. I am still in denial when it comes to Endgame, so I wrote this.


End file.
